Philippine hospitals plea for more health workers amid COVID-19 surge

Two major public hospitals in the Philippines, the Lung Center of the Philippines and the Philippine General Hospital, have requested additional health workers from the Department of Health due to an increase in COVID-19 patients.

The hospitals are struggling with a shortage of nurses and doctors as infections rise, particularly in Metro Manila.

LCP spokesperson Dr. Norberto Francisco told ANC that they have asked for at least 30 more nurses since last week but it's difficult to secure these personnel.

PGH spokesperson Dr. Jonas Del Rosario expressed hope for reinforcements from the DOH, stating that additional doctors would greatly help their COVID operations.

The DOH is studying how to augment the health workforce amid the current surge in infections, considering past strategies such as hiring more workers and transferring staff from less affected regions.